4 lessons for university presidents on how to grow professional and adult enrollment
75% of all institutional strategic plans include growing in adult and grad education as a Top 3 priority. But just how big and competitive are these markets? Where are there already winner-take-all markets? We held a virtual event for presidents and chancellors that busted common myths about master’s degree growth and sized the growth potential of certificate and degree completion markets.
Our discussion covered how to think about the competition and how institutions should shape their growth strategy in adult and grad education. Explore the takeaways from the event below or jump to the next steps.
Review the Key Takeaways
Growth in the master’s market is slow and limited to high-cost fields
- Every year since 2013, the National Center for Education Statistics has lowered its expectations for master’s degree growth. Currently, it projects nearly flat growth over the next 10 years
- Fields that are seeing robust growth (e.g., computer science, health professions) all require large investments to recruit faculty and develop essential facilities
- Volatility in the international enrollment market will continue to have an outsized impact on graduate programs
The graduate certificate market is small
- While growing, the graduate certificate market represents only 7% of the for-credit market
- 96% of recession-era growth among for-credit certificates came from pre-baccalaureate programs
- The graduate certificate market is dwarfed by noncredit market outside of higher ed
- The median number of annual for-credit graduate certificate conferrals per program was four in 2019
Even pre-pandemic, growth in the graduate space was largely online
- Between 2013-2018, enrollment in exclusively online graduate programs increased 6.6% annually, while enrollments in exclusively face-to-face programs declined 1.8% annually
- Growth in online programming also contributed to the expansion of the competitive landscape, with 57% of online graduate students attending out-of-state institutions in 2018
The post-pandemic landscape is shaping up to be even more competitive
- Growth in alternative provider market and popularity of short-format credentials presents a further threat to traditional higher ed providers
- Primarily online institutions will look to build off of countercyclical enrollment growth with expanded offerings and student experiences
Take the Next Steps
-
Share material
-
Speak with an expert
-
Discover more master's degree trends
-
Understand the certificate market
This resource requires EAB partnership access to view.
Access the research report
Learn how you can get access to this resource as well as hands-on support from our experts through Professional and Adult Education Advisory Services.
Learn More